The Washington critic., 1887-12-22
THE ALASKAN SEALERS.
A New Version of the Situation. The
Canadian View.
They Prefer to Let the Vessels Lie.

Times of the date of December 10 says:
AS practically no information can be
got from the Departments, asked
gentleman who is in the way of getting
the news from Alaska whether Nc had
any knowledge Of the release Of the
British sealers captured in June, 1886,
and ordered released on the 1st of last
January, and, again, October IL. In
reply he said: "rhe owners Of these
vessels have been able to get them at
any time they wanted them since the
order for their release reached Sitka last
February. They have made no move to
take them because they learned that the
order for discontinuance Of the proceed
ings and the release of the VESSELS was
In the nature Of pardon, and
Il they accepted the vessels under
the circumstances, they implied
an acknowledgement Of illegality of
thcir own conduct, and waived their claims
TO reimbursement for their loss by the
United States. What they want is damages.
dents order to release their ships they will
destroy tie rounds for their claims against
this Government
"But are their ships not rotting?' l as ked.
"Thcy must be worth something, or they
must have been worth something ten months
has been out there says the machinery is
rusting and their seams are opening and
their value is now almost gone"
My informant replied: "That is only n
part Of the case for damages to be asked of
our Government. The Canadian, official
are at Ounalaska, fifteen hundred miles
away. They ride in n little land-locked
cove where they are perfectly safe, and they
can lie there twenty years without serious
injury: Judge Dawson never revoked the
imperative, because the owners never
claimed their property. Perhaps they would
like us to send the vessels home to them,
but that we are not likely to do. They can
have them II they will take them. 1 know
that the three departments, of the Gov
ernment-Trcasury, State and Justlce-have
been acting in perfect accord. Bayad did
not want the fisheries negotiations compli-
Gated with the Behring Sea affair and the
captains whose vessels were seized in 1886
pleaded ignorance, and Mr.. Bayard was
quite ready to recommend that they be dealt
with generously.
"lIc wrote to the Sitka officials to know
why they had not obeyed his order, and they
did not reply that they had obeyed, but the
owners of the sealers would not ask for their
property. What they replied, according to
they thought the order was not genuine.
They suspected 1t of being forgery. This
makes 1t certain that whatever the owners
of the captured vessels have done, or failed
to do, the thing that was ordered by the At
torney-Gcneral last winter at the instance
Of the President was not done according to
the understanding of the Attorncy.General,
as well as of his subordinates at Sitka.
while this explanation of the status ofthe
captured sealers seems plausible. the fact is
that Attorney General Garland did not use
1t couple of months. ago when 1t would
have been most convenient for him. and the
State Department has not used it, though 1t
would lave saved that department much
sharp criticism. On the 18th of October the
Attorney General telegrnphed to the officer
at Sitka to obey the order of January last
and release the vessels. In explaining this
Press. Garland did not suggest that the seal
ers had not been taken away because their
owners had not asked for then but he said
he did not know until shortly before October
12 that the order Of January had never been
obcyed.
"Captains who took their sealing-vesses
into Behring Sea in 1887 cannot plead ig-
norance. They knew they were violating
our laws, and their vessels were seized and
they will not be released The English
authorities recognize the fact that the seal
fisheries would not last two years If every
body could kill seals, and that our protection
of the seal fisheries is precisely analogous tc
the British protection of the pearl fisherie.
Of Ccylon. And the English have no notion
Of cushing the claims Of their own poachers
Besid s there is as much money in the sea-
business, n now conducted for Englishmer
as there is for Americans. and they do moi
want the business killed. All the skins arc
dyed and marketed in London, and there Is
agood deal of money in that"
nIA nn,,,;,sn,, N,tn.
The steamer Conoho of the Roanoke, Nor
folk and Baltimore line, strucka snag in the
Southern branch, eight miles from Norfolk
and sunk in ten feet of water yesterday
Adams Il Kronk made $1,000 assignment
at Winchester yesterday.
At meeting of the joint session of thu
General Assembly yesterday John S. Bar
bour was declared duly elected Senator.
Harry Jones, convicted of murder in Isle
Of Wight County, has been granted a new
trial.
The social event of the season took place ii
the. Southern Methodist Church at Oman
cock last evening, when Mr.. Spencer ID
Hopkins and Miss George i. Powell, two o
the most prominent and popular younl
people of Onancock, were united in matri
mony. The church was filed TO over
flowing.
Yesterday closed the fiftieth year o
service of Or. James i. Cabel as professo
Of physiology and surgery in the Unversit!
of Virginia. As memorial of the day ant
tribute to his distinguished services In tn,
University and in the cause of sound medi
cal education everywhere, his old pupils
representing thirty States and countries. ant
his colleagues presented hima beautiful ane
eostly golden goblN, appropriately inscribed
accompanied by u congratulatory ihidress.
The case Mt Norfolk of August Burgcs,
against the. Norfolk and Western Railroat
FOR $4,000 damages for injuries has beer
compromised by the payment of 5000.
A sunken schooner ten miles northeas
rom Winter Quarter lightsbip, and anothe
lunken schooner four miles eastsouthcast o
,he Shinnecock light, in eighteen fithoms o
water, are reported as dangerous obstruction
% navigation along the coast